Year of the Snake

The Snake is nothing but a baby dragon that is said to have fallen to earth. It shares some of the dragon’s intelligence and drive. However, it is a more cunning and shrewd creature, prone to observation and keeping a lower profile. The Chinese think that if you have a Snake in the house, you’ll never go hungry. The survival instinct is that strong and persistent. We would do well not to underestimate its power, ambition, and drive and must keep in mind that it is able to swallow an animal much larger than its size.

Snake sports a forked tongue and the Chinese consider this an indication of potentially dangerous words that can affect one’s reputation. Remember that snakes won’t attack unless they are disturbed. As long as you respect them, you won’t have to worry about poisonous snakebites.

The first day of the Black Water Snake year is February 4, 2013 with the official New Year arriving on February 10, 2013. We are in the Yin phase of the Water element this year and the Yin Water sits on top of Fire, the element of Snake. Yin water is full of potential — quiet, embryonic, waiting to emerge. It is gentle, humble, and accommodating. But beware. Even though a situation may seem flexible on the surface, don’t be deceived. The other side of Yin is secrecy, cunning, and deception. Secrets are often the real motivation behind actions, and hidden agendas abound.

Water represents Kidney Chi in Chinese medicine and has to do with the blood, urinary system, bones, bone marrow, ears, and sexual energy. The Fire below it causes steam and evaporation. Unless one practices internal alchemy (the process of transmuting sexual energy into an elixir of life force), this can signify aging, which according to Chinese medicine, is the process of dehydration. Expect more research to emerge on life extension and anti-aging. Fire is represented in the body by the heart so also be prepared to hear about heart health, inflammation, and blood disease. For those who have tendencies in this direction, it is important to supplement the diet with Omega 3s, vitamins C & E to reduce cholesterol, and ubiquinol or COQ -10.

The Snake’s Fire contains Yang Metal, Yang Earth, and Yang Fire, causing the Snake to act unpredictably. It is travelling energy, with lots of movement and activity. Just like the snake itself, during the Snake Year, situations can suddenly change from placid and calm to dangerous. The twisting, turning movements of the Snake cause sudden upheavals and surprising turns of events. Previous Snake Years occurred in 1941 (Pearl Harbor), 1989 (Tiananmen Square), and 2001 (the 9/11 terrorist attack).

Metal (banking, machinery, engineering, computer, and high tech industries) and Earth (real estate, mining, environmental cleanup, oil and gas) element industries will do well this year. Wood industries – textile, environment, paper, and news media will be moving cautiously ahead. Fire uplifts and expands and is related to the economic mood as well as the stock market. With Yin Water, there is a touch of caution, but the Snake year will be a much better year economically than any for quite awhile, and this optimism will be carried into 2014, the year of the Wood Horse. In general, the Yin Water Snake year is an optimistic one with enthusiasm for new innovations and progress.

Weatherwise, it indicates continued climate change and warmer temperatures affecting the planet’s ecology. The warming of the oceans (Fire under Water) will increase the possibility of coral reef die-off and changes in the fish and sea mammal population. When this year’s Fire combines with a Fire Month (February and August- Tiger & Monkey), it could be dangerous as the excess fire energy can potentially cause explosions, electrical storms, blackouts, or fire disasters.

You might think that last year’s Water Dragon was a more impressive reptile, but don’t sell the Water Snake short. In Hindu mythology, Kundalini is the serpent goddess that lies dormant, asleep at the base of the spine. When she awakens, she undulates up the spine often causing quite intense, sometimes painful, experiences and extraordinary mental and spiritual understandings and awakenings. And then of course, we can’t forget the serpent in the Garden of Eden. In fact, in almost every culture’s mythology, a snake appears representing wisdom, healing (the caduceus carried by Hermes), initiation and sometimes secret knowledge associated with transformation, death, and regeneration.

So don’t be afraid to shed your skin and slither out of your comfort zone. Follow the path of your personal Kundalini and see where it takes you. You won’t be disappointed.

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